


marmite and hot chocolate

by orphan_account



Category: Two Door Cinema Club
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Bonding, Bookstore AU, Christmas, Coffee Shops, Hot Chocolate, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jealousy, Laughter, M/M, Oneshot, bookshop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 10:53:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8798041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sam Halliday hates his boss, but one of his regular customers makes it all worth it.[Self contained oneshot, coffee shop au, written for my girlfriend]





	

There were perks to working in a coffee shop, definitely: free lunch being the primary one, and free dinner if he could hide the discarded stock in his trousers efficiently enough. In Sam's mind, however, the biggest perk came in the form of a 5'11”bundle of ginger hair and oversized jumpers. His name was Alex, and he'd become a regular customer at the coffee shop where Sam worked several weeks previously. His order never changed – a medium hot chocolate with a shot of caramel and a bakewell tart. He'd turn up all bright smiles and banter, make his order and then linger around the counter for ten minutes, chatting to Sam and thoroughly distracting him.

Of course, the job had its disadvantages too. Sam's boss, Kevin Baird, was the biggest disadvantage of all.

* * *

 

“Sam, I need to talk to you.”

As Sam hung his apron up, he sighed. Almost every shift Kevin would stop him and scold him for something. Even though Sam rationally knew that he was not at fault, and Kevin was just a nitpicker who had taken against him, the sharp words still left him anxious and shaky, a chalky taste at the back of his mouth.

“What's up, Kevin?”

“You're spending too long talking to each customer – the queues are getting too long and other customers are getting annoyed. Cut the shit.”

Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes, instead pleasantly replying, “Will do.”

It always seemed to frustrate Kevin that Sam refused to argue back. It simply wasn't in Sam's nature to fight – whenever possible, he avoided confrontation. Even when customers were screaming at him for some minor issue with their drink, he'd stay calm and collected, even though afterwards he'd be shaking.

“I've had several complaints that you're serving lukewarm drinks, too.”

“I'm very sorry, I'll check the equipment more and make sure it's boiling water correctly.”

As Sam took off his apron and tossed it into the washing basket, he sensed Kevin's frustration growing. It made him smile a little to see Kevin get so het up just because Sam refused to fight back.

* * *

 

Thursdays were always quiet days in the coffee shop, and Sam never really knew why. Sure, the kids were all dying of boredom at school, and most adults were languishing in boring office jobs, but even by the standards of a normal day Thursdays were quiet. The shop was entirely empty when Alex strolled in, his guitar slung over his shoulder and a coat that was just slightly too small wrapped around him.

“Alright mate?”

“Sam!” Alex said, a grin spreading across his face. “You're in again? You never take a day off, mate. Your boss must be a bit of a dick.”

Sam glanced around to see if Kevin was nearby, before leaning in and saying conspiratorially, “'A bit of a dick' is an understatement.”

This made Alex laugh, which made Sam laugh, and within moments the two of them were giggling away in the otherwise-empty coffee shop. Sam's hands moved almost by reflex to make Alex's caramel hot chocolate, and to place his bakewell tart on a plate – the smile on Alex's face quirked as he watched the man prepare his order without even being asked.

“You know, one day I'll come in and order a latte and a cupcake, and you'll be fucked.” he said as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket and tipped some change into his palm. Sam rolled his eyes as he slid the snack and drink across the counter, resting his elbows on the surface as he waited for Alex to count out the right price. Sam didn't need to tell him how much it cost, the price was already pretty much ingrained in Alex's head. It was his little luxury – every day, he ate Tesco Value Cornflakes for breakfast, a cheese sandwich for lunch and Tesco Value Rice with Tesco Value Sauce for dinner. His daily hot chocolate and bakewell tart were the nicest thing that had passed his lips since he was last in a relationship.

“Sure thing, buddy. You're addicted to my chocolate.” Sam grinned, tipping the money into the till.

“Nah, just addicted to your sugar.” Alex replied with a wink, before picking up his order and strolling across to the other side of the coffee shop, leaving Sam blushing and open mouthed. How did Alex always out-manoeuvre and out-flirt him?

* * *

 

It took weeks for Sam to see Kevin and Alex interact. It hadn't even occurred to him that he'd never seen them together until it was almost Christmas, when the shop grew busier and busier and Sam had less and less time to interact with his favourite customer. One day, it grew so busy that Kevin deigned to leave his office and work behind the counter with another guy called Andrew, while Sam was rushed off his feet taking drinks to people's tables, cleaning up after messy toddlers and periodically checking that the lavatories weren't too dirty. He wasn't sure what it was, but around Christmas people seemed to lose their aim. Perhaps it was the abundance of alcohol consumed in the season, or simply the festivity distracting people, but Sam seemed to spend far more time in December wiping urine from the toilet seat, walls, floor and occasionally the ceiling than at any other time of the year.

“Hey, Sam!” Sam heard from behind him as he crossed the shop to pick up a tray of hot chocolates that a group of giggly schoolgirls had ordered. Spinning a little, he saw that Alex had joined the queue. The man looked slightly ridiculous – a glittery Christmas hat perched on his head, and he wore a hugely oversized Christmas jumper which seemed to have actual lightbulbs within it. His face, however, was a breath of fresh air to Sam, and Sam mustered a genuine smile for the man. Sam couldn't linger, and continued with his jobs, but a couple of minutes later became aware of the sound of raised voices across the shop. Turning, he saw Kevin stood behind the counter, eyebrows raised, mouth open as he spat out harsh words. Alex looked rather bemused, his hand still proffering coins to pay for his order.

“What's wrong?” Sam asked, moving across the shop faster than he thought possible with such a huge crowd in. Both of the other men jumped at Sam's sudden appearance, clearly both too engrossed in their argument to have seen him coming.

“This customer is rather upset that we've run out of caramel syrup.” Kevin firmly said, his brow furrowing a little as he talked. A laugh spilled out of Alex at that, making a warmth appear in Sam's tummy despite the conflict.

“Nah, I'm upset because Kevin here deliberately spilled hot coffee on my hand.”

Sam looked more closely at the situation and saw that rather than holding out coins as he'd thought, Alex was propping up his left hand, which looked rather angry and red.

“Kev, can you and Andrew keep up with the orders? This customer needs medical attention.”

* * *

 

Compared to the buzz of the shop, the back room was silent and peaceful, with no noise except the running of the cold tap as Sam held Alex's hand beneath the flow.

“Do you and Kevin know one another?” Sam asked as they stood closely together. Alex gave a laugh, a sharp, bitter laugh.

“Yeah. We dated. He cheated on me with my best friend then when I got upset he dumped me and threw out my stuff.”

Rolling his eyes, Sam spoke. “I'm not surprised. He's a bit of a dickhead as a boss, I can't imagine he was a great boyfriend. Your best friend must have been a dickhead too.”

“Yeah, Jamie always was a bit off. I wasn't that shocked when I found out it was him Alex had been cheating with.”

For a moment, the two fell into silence once again, listening to the cold water washing over Alex's burnt hand.

“You could press charges for your hand, you know.”

“With what money?” Alex asked, with a mirthless laugh. “I can barely afford my rent, mate, let alone lawyers and transport to court and all that.”

A sigh ripped out of Sam. “I'm sorry. You deserve better. I know we're not exactly friends – I mean, we talk every day, but we're just barista and customer – but you seem like _such_ a good guy.”

Suddenly, Alex yanked his hand out from under the water. The skin didn't appear to be blistered, just a bit red, his sleeve damp. “Sam, do you want to go out with me?”

“I- uh-”

“No, I'm sorry, I-”

“Yes, I do.”

Once more, silence fell over the two men. Their voices were both awkward and stuttery, both of their faces flaming red. They were totally in synch.

“One thing, though.” Sam said, smiling a little and dragging the courage up within him to look Alex in the eye.

“What?”

“We don't go to a bloody coffee shop.”

The two men laughed and laughed and laughed. They laughed until they cried, tears streaming down their faces. They laughed when Kevin stormed in and informed Alex that he was no longer welcome on the premises. They laughed when Kevin informed Sam that there was no longer a job for him. They laughed until their stomachs hurt, and then they laughed some more. A moment had never been so pure, nor so perfect.

* * *

 

Sam found work quickly, as an all-round dog's body in a little bookshop. It was owned by a young guy called Jacob, who smoked hand-rolled cigarettes and kept a tiny bottle of whisky behind the desk. He wasn't a happy man, but he paid Sam well and pretended not to notice when Sam took the odd book or two from the stockroom. He also had the significant plus-side of not being Kevin Baird. Instead of spending his lunch drinking hot chocolate and eating bakewell tart as he had grown used to doing, Alex would visit the bookshop and sit in the backroom with Sam, eating crushed cheese sandwiches from home and taking it in turns with Sam to read poetry aloud. They saw one another every day, and away from the pressure-cooker environment of the coffee shop, began to flourish. Alex soon trusted Sam enough to sing to him, and in turn Sam brought his guitar into work and played for Alex. Thoughts of Kevin faded from their minds, and when their kisses came, they never tasted of hot chocolate. They tasted of off-brand marmite and cheap cheddar cheese, of the mustiness of old bookshops, and they left Sam's knees weak. He'd never really been one for hot chocolate – it was too weak for him. He quickly, however, developed a taste for cheese. Cheese and Alex.

 

 


End file.
